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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27039343">Routine Maintenance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/agitatedstates/pseuds/agitatedstates'>agitatedstates</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domestic, Fluff, M/M, a lil hint of angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:47:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27039343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/agitatedstates/pseuds/agitatedstates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes Prompto lets him listen to his music with him, one headphone each, and there's been countless nights spread out on a bed listening to whatever album Prompto is obsessed with at the moment</p><p>“And I passed a hillside in Texas where the cacti all raised up their arms, like they've been caught in prayer to some evangelist preacher or absentee gods”</p><p> </p><p>Or</p><p>Three times Prompto was caught singing and one time Ignis was.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Prompto Argentum/Ignis Scientia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Routine Maintenance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was for the promnis found beneath the stars zine!! It was super rad to be a part of and im excited to share yet another music fic. </p><p>All lyrics are from Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Runnin’ Toward the Light</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I used to hate all my dad's outlaw country bands he'd play me when I was young. 'Cause they'd lie through their teeth about the lives they lead, when all I wanted were honest songs”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis wakes up to the sound of singing. He’s a little confused at first, before he recognises the bed isn't his own, that Ignis is lying in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Prompto’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>bed, and he has to stop himself from giggling out of pure joy. Ignis is a little sad Prompto isn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>in </span>
  </em>
  <span>bed with him, but he thinks if he follows the sound he can find him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Runnin' toward the light, on the shoulder of a dream, I'm singing in my sleep. Runnin' toward the light, I stagger through the streets, I sing it in my sleep.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis is as quiet as he can possibly be as he walks down the stairs. The last thing he wants is to scare Prompto, but he also thinks that Prompto might stop singing if he finds out Ignis is awake. Its </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and maybe that's just the part of his brain that's absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>smitten </span>
  </em>
  <span>with Prompto, but he tries to be objective.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto is honest to Gods dancing in his kitchen, making mediocre coffee and what looks like an incredible breakfast. Ignis is a little mad he didn't get the chance to make Prompto breakfast the first time they stayed the night together. But the sight before him is too cute for him to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>truly </span>
  </em>
  <span>mad about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cream fights through truck-stop coffee here in the quiet purple dawn. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Last night we played another highway bar, for the first time they sang along. Spray paint a '20' up on the overpass like a blood pact for the drifters we've become</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>in the soft burgeoning sun”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There's no music, no headphones in Prompto’s ears, but Ignis thinks that Prompto can hear the music anyway. There's something about Prompto that can make Ignis smile no matter what, the way he lights up a room, how he can make music just by being </span>
  <em>
    <span>Prompto. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ignis is hesitant to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>love, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he thinks what he feels for Prompto is something close. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m gonna make you proud of me!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto drops the mug in his hand the moment he sees Ignis, clutching at his heart and trying to not scream. Ignis apologises by kissing him, and suddenly Prompto isn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>bothered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wildflower Honey</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis can’t sleep. Something feels wrong, and as he turns over to reach for Prompto, he’s greeted with a cold spot. He tries not to panic, goes through all the possible situations that are more likely than daemons eating his boyfriend. Breathe, count to three, ground yourself. Ignis gets up, and finds Prompto sitting on the edge of the haven. His heart stops pounding out of control, and he hears him sing.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>I stood up tall in the flowers all with bright yellow blooms at the tip, like they've been set on fire and put out but left alone, all the embers stay lit” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis sits himself next to Prompto, holding his hand and </span>
  <em>
    <span>listening. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It helps him stay calm, hearing Prompto. He knows singing is a pretty private part of Prompto's life, and he feels thankful that he gets to be part of that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes Prompto lets him listen to his music with him, one headphone each, and there's been countless nights spread out on a bed listening to whatever album Prompto is obsessed with at the moment</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And I passed a hillside in Texas where the cacti all raised up their arms, like they've been caught in prayer to some evangelist preacher or absentee gods”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis tries to ignore the waiver in Prompto's voice. He thinks that maybe Prompto has the same feeling of impending doom. There's a hint of anxiety, his voice low and quiet, only meant for the two of them. Ignis rests his head on Prompto's shoulder, and tries to be a comfort to him. Ignis can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So I drift to sleep, eating wildflower honey. In the evening heat with the windows down around me, laying low on the side of the road”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto stops. Ignis knows it's not the end of the song, and Prompto chokes back tears as he grips onto Ignis. Prompto is usually composed, especially with Noctis around. On particular nights, Prompto would admit that he feels like a burden, and if he lets Noct know exactly how he feels he’ll lose all of this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He whispers that he’s scared, that he thinks somethings going to go wrong. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>something is wrong, and Ignis just holds him while he rubs his back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis can't bring himself to lie and say that he isn't scared too. <br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Orchard Park</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis knows this might be the last time he ever sees Noctis alive. Has known for the past decade that whatever time he will get with him again will be brief. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fleeting. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was nearly impossible to tell Prompto. He gave in and told Gladio weeks after Noctis was absorbed into the crystal, but there was something in Ignis that begged him to keep this from Prompto, to not burden him with this. Gladio and Ignis didn't really have a choice in all of this, but Prompto does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis realises it’s stupid to try and hide things, and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurts, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but he cant imagine trying to hide it forever. They spend a decade looking for something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything </span>
  </em>
  <span>to fix what he knows is coming, to prevent Noctis’ sacrifice. </span>
</p><p>Ignis doesn't want to say that his best friend is going to die. He refuses to let it happen.</p><p>
  <span>Noctis ends up falling asleep in his chair, reminiscent of older days in the glow of a haven, and Gladio carries him into the tent. Prompto wandered off to the edge of a haven, a little overwhelmed. Ignis is too, but he’s accustomed himself at hiding it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto apologised a million times to Noctis for getting married when he wasn't there, but this world has taken so much from them, Prompto and Ignis didn't want to waste a </span>
  <em>
    <span>moment</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Noctis smiles, just like he did when they were teenagers, and tells Prompto they can get married again with him there. It makes all of them cry even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and Prompto promises him best man speeches and a million re-lived moments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis moves himself next to Prompto, and it feels reminiscent of the first camp they had together. Ignis is surprised he still remembers it, and he feels that same sense of foreboding all over again. Prompto is singing, and it's been so long since he heard it. There isn't many reasons to sing in the dark. But Ignis has missed it, even when it sounds so </span>
  <em>
    <span>sad</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Light is breaking through, I hum a song to keep me company. I swear to god I heard you hum the same tune, if you wanted to I think you could've been a singer. I got it from you”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis doesn't remember this one, but he holds Prompto's hand, like he’s done a million times, and feels a head move to his shoulder. He can hear Prompto crying while he sings, but he lets him work through it the way he always does. He loves him, feels across the wedding ring on Prompto's finger and tries to soothe himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis refuses to let Noctis die. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I spread your ashes in Orchard Park, in the creek beyond the east wall so I know where you are.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis lets himself cry too, lets everything he’s been repressing wash over him. Prompto has always made him feel safe, loved, like nothing in the world could ever hurt them if they’re together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just wants the four of them to get through this alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Routine Maintenance</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Promptos been gone a few days. He hasn't left his and Ignis’ home much since they adopted their daughter, a sweet little two year old born just before the dawn. They name her Aulea, and it makes Noctis cry when he meets her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto tries to go on a fishing trip with Noctis at least every few months. It’s good to have a break from the chaos at home, and Noctis seems so </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy </span>
  </em>
  <span>out on the ocean. They love living in Lestallum, the four of them so close to each other and rebuilding that it feels like barely anything has changed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto tries to be as quiet as possible as he walks into the house, knowing that it's close to Aulea’s nap time and Ignis would </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill </span>
  </em>
  <span>him if she even so much as stirred. He definitely thinks that their daughter has his husband whipped, but he can’t find it in himself to be upset. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto is more surprised to hear the soft sound of music as he enters, and he’s greeted with Ignis slowly cleaning up the apartment with their daughter asleep on his shoulder, held up by one arm. Prompto thinks he falls in love all over again, and then he hears Ignis </span>
  <em>
    <span>sing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>All of us here under the same roof again</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>, I'm sitting in your favorite chair</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span> playing with the fraying threads”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Its rare. Ignis isn't much of a singer, he normally leaves it to Prompto. Absently, he thinks that Aulea must have missed him, and Ignis was trying to fill his absence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto never wants to leave again, not even for a day, if it means he misses moments like this. He never thought he could deserve this.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And I'm raking the leaves, I'm unclogging the drain, I'm trying to be someone you can count on for a change”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Prompto puts down his things as quietly as he can. Doesn't even dare shut the door, not even noticing the hot Lestallum air blowing in behind him. He’s stuck in the moment, unable to bring himself to break it. How could he?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“In the years since everything happened, I've been out looking for where the light went. I think I've found out where the light is”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignis tries not to scream when he sees Prompto in the doorway, tears streaming down his face, but the jolt wakes up Aulea. She rubs at her eyes, confused, but the moment she looks over and sees Prompto she’s patting Ignis to let her down, and is running to him. He swoops her up, just like he has a million times before, and Prompto is kissing all over his daughters face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It gives time for Ignis to recover, and soon Prompto is pecking his husband on the lips. There's a cheeky comment from Prompto about hearing him sing, whispered so Aulea can’t hear the details, and Ignis honest to the Gods blushes. Aulea is too hyper active to go back to her nap, so they prepare themselves for a difficult night ahead of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They have dinner with Gladio and Noctis tomorrow, and then they all return to meetings and planning for rebuilding Eos. Prompto learns to appreciate little moments like this, dancing with his daughter and husband in a little apartment. If Prompto could, he’d spend the rest of his life like this. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Drop a kudos and comment if you feel inclined!</p><p>Twitter: pitiossruins</p></blockquote></div></div>
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